Articles that inspire
Prospect Research Edge
Kickstart Your Career
If you’re just starting in fundraising research and prospect management, our Career Agent Training is the perfect first step. Designed for beginners, this program gives you the foundational knowledge and practical skills to navigate the world of prospect research with confidence. With expert-led instruction, real-world examples, and hands-on practice, you’ll learn how to identify top donor prospects, manage data effectively, and grow your career from day one. Start strong with training that sets you up for success!
Dr. Phildra J. Swagger on building the life you want, not just a career
Do you wish your paid work was more fulfilling? Does your job feel like a heavy weight dragging you down every day? Maybe you were deliberate at the start of your career and searched for a job that matched your interests, but now you are discontented. Maybe you “fell”...
Book Review | Bitcoin and the Future of Fundraising
By Elisa Shoenberger We’ve all heard about Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in the news. Most recently, El Salvador adopted Bitcoin as legal tender in June 2021, and China is cracking down on cryptocurrencies even as it is working on creating its own cryptocurrency. While...
#CareerCurious with Vanessa Boyle and Kelly Douglas at Caltech
Kelly Douglas, Senior Data Analyst, Development Analytics at Caltech, didn’t anticipate a career in analytics, but was drawn to it by leaning into her interests and strengths. Vanessa Boyle, Associate Director of Prospect Management at Caltech, followed her interests...
Unleash your creativity for board prospecting
WARNING! Christal Cherry is an expert and like most experts she isn’t always aware of how much she knows. When you listen to her tell her stories, grab a pen, because you are going to find yourself taking notes and getting excited with new ideas! Christal is a natural...
Backstory and Trends in Prospect Management
Where do you get started with prospect management? How many prospects should a development officer have in a portfolio? What’s the lynchpin of a successful prospect management program? If you are curious about any of these questions, you need to hear what Karen Greene...
Book Review | Collecting Courage: Joy, Pain, Freedom, Love
By Elisa Shoenberger Since the tragic death of George Floyd by police last summer and the protests that followed, nonprofits across the country have released statements, expressing solidarity and even proclaiming Black Lives Matter. But many activists and people in...
Celebrating Certificate Earner, Jason Ross
When someone completes a course and earns a certificate at the Institute, it’s a big accomplishment. Courses can easily take around 35 hours to complete. Please join me in celebrating this intrepid member! Jason Ross Jason is a volunteer prospect researcher at...
Shavonn Richardson shares how to “Think” before you “Ink” your grant proposal.
Finding foundation funders is easy, right? Just run a search in an online tool and presto! Prospects! If only that worked. The fundraising process is never so clean, regardless of how formal or informal the grantmaking process. That’s why I wanted to hear from Shavonn...
Celebrating Badge Earner, Rachel Davey
When someone completes a course and earns a certificate at the Institute, it’s a big accomplishment. Courses can easily take around 35 hours to complete. Please join me in celebrating this intrepid member! Rachel Davey Rachel immigrated to Canada in 2006 after working...
Dynamic and Digital: Fundraising Trends with Tim Kachuriak
If you want to be successful in digital fundraising, it’s not enough to understand and be able to implement digital marketing techniques. You have to marry that knowledge and skill with a deep understanding of fundraising. Tim Kachuriak delivers on both counts. In...
Continuing Education: Should it be Training? Or Education? BOTH!
What does A Christmas Carol have in common with nonprofit fundraising training? Nonprofit educator, Matt Hugg, shares how he leverages the story for an activity in his live classes. I’m not going to spoil it for you and give you the answer, but it should clue you in...
Lacy McAlister on Developing Prospect Management 2.0
There’s a lot of toxic work environments and toxic supervisors in the for-profit and non-profit world, but there are also places where people thrive and are encouraged to strive to their potential. Lacy McAlister is thriving! In 2019, I put a call out to Prospect...
Words from happy Researchers
Success Stories
★★★★★
I love your Master Class format – small group, clearly defined curriculum, solid professional information and resources and focus on discussion. But most importantly I was impressed and delighted to see that you incorporated an additional and extremely practical layer of knowledge, through hands on experience with tools (pivot tables) or resources (Candid). This adds real value to the educational experience you offer.
Betsy Mehlman
2020-Master Class
★★★★★
Jen’s course on insider stock and compensation was informative, interesting, and well-thought out. Jen broke down the complicated material into digestible pieces. She showed us resources that I use in my day-to-day research that I wouldn’t have otherwise known about. Jen is always quick to respond and has been helpful even after the class has ended. She answers questions thoroughly and is always pleasant.
I was able to take what I learned from the course and present the material to our front-line fundraisers. One fundraiser told me after my presentation that she discovered one of her donor’s compensation was much higher than she thought. So, already, this information has come in handy! Thanks again Jen!
Kim Anthony, San Francisco CA
Insider Stock and Compensation
★★★★★
The Capacity Rating Workshop was really useful. I was new to the prospect research field when I took the workshop, so it helped to demystify capacity ratings for me. The online classroom provided a great forum for interaction with the other participants and for a robust exchange of ideas. Beyond that though, Jen shared a wealth of information and resources about capacity ratings and other important aspects of prospect research. I highly recommend this workshop whether you’re new to the field or have years of experience in our profession.
David Lloyd, Prospect Research Professional, San Francisco, CA
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